In the Mind of Shayne

2011 and Total World Domination. ;)

2011-01-01T11:47:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! 2010 was one of the best years of my life! I got to see my first original work play out on the big, silver, screen! I laughed. I cried. I pulled all of my hair out. I cried some more...and then I remembered how thankful I was for everything in my life and laughed again. I hope you all had an amazing year as well and I wish all of you many new blessings for 2011.
I feel it. It's gonna be a good one! ;)
My new year has already started off with a bang! I am so excited to announce, that Of Light and Darkness has been acquired by Decadent Publishing and I could not be more thrilled. It has been a long road of about five years total that it has taken my to write, edit, and seek publishing for my debut novel and I really hope that you'll read it and enjoy it. I'm a HUGE advocate for independent film, music, and now books. I always have been. I think there really is something special to be said about the smaller, more intimate projects. The big guys are great, but once in a while you find those gems when sifting through indie bands, movies, and books. Everyone works so closely with each other and there's just something really endearing about "grass-rooting" your project. So I really hope that if anyone is reading this, that you pass the word along and give independently produced projects as much of a chance as the major ones. :) Because good things can be found anywhere.
Okay, I am getting off of my soap box now. :) Hehe...
So I hope you'll follow Of Light and Darkness as it begins on its journey to your book shelves at home. There's going to be a lot of different, exciting things hopefully that will begin happening now - so if you aren't sick of Vampires (don't be...because mine are awesome!) and if you love dark fantasy, shape-shifters, magic, evil, and a good adventure that takes place in an ancient city that actually exists...I hope you'll get excited about this!

Also, I received some fan questions today in my facebook inbox...and as requested by her, I'm answering them here. ;) These questions are from Jerilyn. So here goes:
1. know you enjoy singing and stuff.
Is it actually hard to maintain acting, singing, planning and keeping up with everything at once?
Normally, I have to be honest and say that it is not so difficult. I know it seems like I'm doing a lot at once, but normally my projects tend to lead me in only one direction at a time. For instance, right now I am working on a few writing projects. The first being Of Light and Darkness as well as a few scripts, such as a retelling of the classic Phantom of the Opera called, Masque. I'm sure after I finish up a few of these projects, I'll get called off to focus on something else. :) It's all about finding a balance, and since I am very passionate about everything I do, that comes very easily to me. I tend to focus on one piece of a project at a given time, and when I feel that I can move on to something else, I do. Eventually it all get's accomplished.
2. Have you became more popular since The Incubus?
The Incubus has definitely helped me in so many ways. It was a great project (that is still on-going...I have a few surprises for Incubus fans up my sleeve ;) ) and continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. I'll go back to what I said earlier about independent projects. The Incubus was very much and independent project that we grass-rooted the whole way. Yet I am so blessed to see that the wonderful team of people working on it have made it so successful. It's helped a lot of us and I'll never stop being thankful for that. :) As far as the surprise goes...you'll all just have to wait and see....

Cheers!
Shayne

In the dark

2010-11-29T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

It's been a while since I've posted - I know. Things have gone a bit crazy since The Incubus has wrapped up and gone on sale. That's right! The Incubus is available now! Visit www.incubusmovie.com to get your copy today. There's a bunch of cool links on this awesome new site. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to your reviews. A few people are already asking for a sequel...hehe. ;) We'll see.

I just want to take some time to talk about etiquette when submitting to a casting director for any sort of film project. If you've been keeping up with me via facebook and twitter, you already know that I've been very busy weeding through submissions for a new independent drama, The Sessionist. If you're an Incubus fan...you will definitely not be into this script, as it is fabulous, but there is nothing paranormal playing any tricks here. If you love stories that exist completely in painful reality...(and when I say painful, I really mean it) then you will LOVE this action-packed drama.

But if you are an actor who has frequently been submitting to various projects via email, there are several key things that are very important for you to remember so that you won't get "lost" in the slush pile. i.e. so the casting director won't banish your resume into the darkest bowls of the dungeons of virtual submissions. Please read the casting notice BEFORE you audition. If you are 60 years old and "big-boned", please don't submit for a character who's breakdown clearly states, "the hunky body-builder type with a model face." No. Your submission will be deleted. Also, please don't ask questions that have already been clearly answered on the notice. Once again, read. Casting directors weed through hundreds of submission a day and we don't have time. Also, I can not express how valuable a demo reel is. Of course your headshot and resume are always nice to have (when they are done professionally of course...and not taken outside by your sister's barn), but nothing excites me like a well-executed demo reel that really displays your ability. :)

I don't mean to sound harsh when posting this information. As a matter of fact, the majority of submissions I've received for this film have been nothing short of excellent. I am VERY excited about the auditions. But there's always that handful of worms that spoil the entire apple. (Fantastic analogy...I know. Forgive me, as I am writing this quickly.) So I felt the need to post a little heads-up to these people for the future.

On to something a little bit more festive! I hope everyone had a very warm and happy Thanksgiving. My family and I definitely did. I love it when the majority of my relatives come over. Sometimes our holidays are small, but this year it was exactly how I love it. I'm a libra, so I need tons of people around constantly. Frantisek joined us this year, which made it really extra special. Lots of joy and happiness to spread around during this time of year. My mom and I put up the Christmas tree over the weekend. I love it! It totally came out "Of Light and Darkness" themed! Check it out:

I know most of you don't understand exactly how it is Of Light and Darkness themed, but it totally is. It has a lot of winding twigs, gold keys, whistles, pocket watches - all symbols from the book.

Speaking of the book, there's a lot of exciting things on the horizon, but unfortunately, things I can not post here yet. :( But what I can say is, there is now a facebook page for it online, where we have already begun posting excerpts and getting people excited! Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Of-Light-and-Darkness/132435133476596

I hope that you'll visit and become a fan! When we reach our next milestone (500 fans) I'll post the entire first chapter of the book there! So it's up to you. Spread the word. If you love a good paranormal romance series, I think you'll enjoy this. ;) I'll list the first excerpt from the book here:

"A mortal infant. The child stared up at me with large, glassy eyes. I looked behind myself to see if there was any one looking to claim her, perhaps from some horrible mistake they made by leaving her there. Alas, the street now was empty and no one seemed to have remembered the lonely little being, save myself. I sighed and my gums started with that familiar, throbbing pain. I gazed down at her and could feel my pupils spread like yoke from an eggshell, painting my entire eye black. She smelled so pure. However, I feverishly shook those demons from my mind.

She cooed at me as I carefully slid my long, cold hands underneath her and lifted her out of the crude nest of covers. The child looked wondrously at the world around us; the desolate city square beneath the velvet sky. Little noises continued to slip from her mouth. I stood there with her in my arms, watching her. I was rather surprised at myself. It was impossible to think that out of everything that existed in my horrible world of nightmarish things, this impossibly tiny human was the first thing in a hundred years that scared me most of all. Me, the monster. I chuckled despite my fear."

Also, another feature film I was apart of, Legend of the Red Reaper posted their new trailer on www.NerdRemix.com. Be sure to check it out! I'll be writing the screenplay for the film's sequel and also starting a novel series.

Stay tuned! Love to all!

Shayne

Howling at the Moon

2010-10-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's a sleepy Friday morning in South Florida. Can't stand how ridiculously sunny it is outside, but I can't fight the fact that I need to get out of this house either! After staring down my manuscript for days as though I was living in an old western and my story was the town outlaw, I've decided it really is right. This computer aint big enough fur the two of us. At least...for now. You know you've worn yourself thin on editing when all of your chapters begin to look the same after a while. (And also when your characters start having full-on dialogue in your head that you're actually responding to) So I'm going to take my leave out into the fresh air!

Where am I going? I can't fully escape my literary-loving tendencies. I'm going to my local Barnes and Nobel! Why? Because I'm going to order my hard copy of The Sacred Oath by D.C. Grace. Now, I do already own the ebook, have read through it, and LOVED it...but you see...the reason why I absolutely need the hard print in my hands is....I am going to be in the film adaptation. No, really.

I am more than excited to be blogging about this! And while I can not give out so much information about the production, what I can say is that I get to play the high school snot, Laura the Leech! I get killer heels! And I get to hang all over Kiowa Gordon and cause a few teenage faces to turn green! (Evil laughter) No...but in all seriousness...I am really thankful and excited for this opportunity, and while I love doing independent films for their charm, sense of family and intimacy, I am really excited to be on a SAG set for a change. :) Thanks to D.C. Grace! Excuse me whilst I go howl at the moon...

In other news, Alexandra Santanna (Bianca in the Incubus) and I have begun learning the dance choreography for her music video, Crashing, from the original Incubus soundtrack. (Now available on iTunes....shameless plug) I have only had ONE dance class, and my entire body is screaming at me. And while I am not dancing in the video (thank heavens), but rather filming it, I am grateful for the free work-out opportunity. I need to tone this butt into shape! For a ginger, I have wayyyy too much of it! Haha.

Enough about my bum....Crashing is going to be a SUPER cute, electric bubblegum music video. (Coining the phrase "electric bubblegum") and I'm really excited to shoot it. We are primarily using dancers from out old high school, Dreyfoos School of the Arts, which is very cool too! There is so much talent in one school, it makes Glee look po-dunk.

If you're an Incubus fan, I know the wait is like killer, but I swear we are getting everything together for the official online release of the film. Don't give up hope! The Incubus....is still...coming....
Hahaha!

Okay....I think that's all for now. Oh wait! I have to embarrass someone first. As some of you know it was my 20th birthday this past October 17th and I received an amazing delivery of 20 long-stem red roses. :) You are amazing and I love you. You know who you are.

Okay...NOW I am done. Hope you've enjoyed this little update! Follow me on Twitter! I only have like 35 followers...it's pretty disheartening. http://twitter.com/shayneleighton

Love to all!

Sincerely,
Shayne (Marnie/Laura the Leech)

Music Videos, Webisode, Blogs, Oh My!

2010-10-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I have updated my blog.

I have been super busy catching up on a few writing projects, editing some video projects for Incubus, and receiving positive feedback on my manuscript for OLaD from a few good people! I am always thankful for corrective criticism. A lot of artists tend to get a little sick over this subject. It's funny, because as an editor, I know I do as well. When I'm cutting a project, no one is right but me. What I say goes! (Of course this is something I've been working on.)

But when it comes to my writing (also applies to song writing), I find myself seeking out industry professionals to purposefully shred up my work, because I know in this instance that I need to surround myself with people who have been through it more than I have. That is seriously another piece of the best advice I could ever give to *aspiring anythings*: if you feel you're not sure, don't be afraid to surround yourself with those who are smarter than you. It will only make your work look better in the future, and teach you a thing or two in the end. I don't care how old you are, how many years you've been doing this, or how proud you are...you are never too old to learn something. You may not always like what they have to say, but keep your ears open and your ego busted...

Okay. Now that I have finished scolding you on things I'm not sure you're even concerning yourselves with, I'll move on to some news! :-)

Behind Your Eyes, the second single from The Incubus Original Soundtrack, was released yesterday on YouTube and facebook. The video is already up to almost 1,000 views and everyone really seems to be enjoying it! I absolutely love getting friend requests and comments from people who are really enthusiastic about what they're watching, especially when they are aspiring artists themselves. So I'm really excited, because those kinds of moments that surface in my days that are filled with problem solving, worrying, and coping with things I can't control - it just makes it worth it! And shooting this music video with no air conditioning, lighting, or plan was pretty difficult to piece together, so that just makes me appreciate the positive feedback even more...

Also, The Incubus is still set to be released for purchase this month - so keep staying tuned for more details.

More projects coming soon!!!

BYE, BYE, BYE

2010-10-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've titled this blog, "BYE" - not because I'm taking off to some far off and distant land. (Though, sometimes I wish.)

Actually, "BYE" stands for the title of one of my songs on The Incubus Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (available on iTunes ;) called Behind Your Eyes - get it?

Yesterday, I pulled together a quick team and filmed a music video/film trailer (sort of) in order to gear up for that national release I was writing about earlier. No. I am still not giving away any details. :)

The shoot was interesting...to say the least. We filmed for around 30 hours in a spooky haunted house, courtesy of G-Star School of the Arts. And even though we are now in the month of October (my favorite month), it was the hottest possible place to be wearing a long-sleeved military jacket whilst lip-syncing through the muggy, Florida heat trapped under a tin roof.

Not to say that I didn't have fun, however. I love recreating ideas like Thriller, and all of the dark and spooky stuff. We had a blast exploring the mazes, and walking through the plastic tomb stones.

Editing today - lot's of color correction work - but I'm really excited to share it with you guys. It really brings on a whole new feeling to Marnie Rose and The Incubus - just in time for Halloween.

Buahahahaha....

More soon!

Sincerely,
Shayne

Spontaneity: A debate

2010-09-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

You see? I warned you in the last post. I said I was going to blog about my research on literary agents, publishing, and the like. But do to my ever-changing ADD brain, I didn't blog at all last night. Needless to say, I didn't do any research either.

What did I do? I watched a marathon of Dirty Harry movies while giving Frank and hours worth of a back massage. My fingers are tired. And I don't even like cop movies.

Either way, I owe you guys a blog post, and despite my growing "to-do" list, here it is.

You know, there is a certain beauty in being spontaneous. It's always great to be organized, and have a plan of action too. But without a certain amount of spontaneity, certain things would never be discovered/invented/produced. I really doubt the first guy who looked at cow utters, planned that something good for the human body to consume would come out there. Gross example, I know.

But here's where my projects stand on spontaneity.

The Incubus OFFICAL WEBISTE HERE , my first feature film to hit theaters, has released some very exciting breaking news on its facebook today. (For those of you who are wondering, I do not create those cool little news paper graphics! But they sure are awesome!) The PLAN is to release the movie nationally (and possibly even internationally) Of course I know the details, but I'm not spilling it yet. Just stay tuned for more. Also, gear up for a bunch of awesome new music videos from our soundtrack, available on iTunes. (Search: The Incubus Soundtrack) as well as a few new webisodes from our web series!

Okay. That's the planned side of my life.

Moving onto the spontaneous.

So obviously, as I keep gushing and obsessing about it. I have this unpublished novel. The story is probably one of my most favorite stories I have ever come up with - and I am also the queen of instant gratification. In most cases, this is a bad quality to have.

But what about all of those blogs, and articles, and books on self-publishing? Does this work? Is it a good alternative for authors? This is my opinion. So far, I would have to say not. Self-publishing works for people like me, who need instant gratification and the feeling of achieving success overnight. (Note: The Incubus was by no means an overnight success. We slaved over it.) So I believe self-publishing is something I will steer very clear from. I want the gratification in knowing that I worked very hard for a long time on my manuscript, so that it is good enough to garner a reputable literary agent.

You also may be wondering, if I'm a filmmaker, why am I trying to establish my novel? Why not just transpose it into a screenplay, and start pre-production tomorrow?

Great questions. And yes, I am way ahead of you. But it's a lot more complicated than that. Sometimes, you have such a massive story to tell, it won't fit into a two hour drama. And I really want to see it as a novel first.

But just because those are my thoughts now, doesn't mean I won't change my mind tomorrow morning. You see? Spontaneity. Or perhaps it's just the inability to figure out exactly what I want. Either way, whatever goals I establish for myself, will be achieved. It's just the order that I'm unsure about.

I mean, what really came first? The chicken or the egg?

Sincerely,
Shayne

Dealing with Rejection

2010-09-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Since the release of The Incubus, I have been lucky enough to connect with all kinds of people who share my similar interests. Whether it be fans who love paranormal romance, to other filmmakers, and even the occasional aspiring performer seeking advice.

The first time someone wrote to me, asking me for advice, I had no idea what to say. I have been involved in what is often referred to as "the industry" by jaded professionals, since I was five years old. I've gone on "go-sees" that landed me in Vogue Bambini and "casting calls" that's ushered me into various commercials - all of which I am beyond grateful and thankful for. I now have a really cool project that opened in theaters regionally - which is another thing I am grateful for. But the problem was, I could not figure out what sort of advice I should give.

And then I did an interview with Jimmy Star (celebrity clothing designer) on his radio show one afternoon, and he said something that struck me. "Nothing is an overnight success." Bingo! That statement is the holy grail of advice for people who want to break in to acting, singing, writing, and all of the above. With all of the things that I've been blessed with so far, those numbers are a mere handful in comparison to the number of rejections I've received. And they're not done yet.

I have NEVER met a single person, who has gone through life without hearing some form of "you're not good enough." That's the nature of the game. The fact of the matter is, there are so many people fighting to climb the ladder, each step seems more and more daunting. If you agree, I'm right there with you.

But there is good news. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Because for every 100 "no's", there is at least a few "yes's" that surprise you along the way. I never expected The Incubus to be produced, let alone be released in theaters! I wrote the screenplay for fun, or at the very least, to help me get into a good film program in college. But life is unexpected. Sometimes, you'll look in your inbox, and you'll see a letter from a certain literary agent requesting a partial of your manuscript because they liked your query letter. But that's the rule. Don't expect it. Hope for it. But never expect it.

And what about the other 99% of the time when you are getting rejected from one thing or another? How do you deal with that? Well, there's a number of therapeutic methods. If you read my previous (and first) entry, I dealt with my rejection by writing to my author friend and sought advice from her while eating pie. And then I sat down with my mom on the couch and huffed until and worked it all out of my system, went to Barns and Noble, bought a book from the Writer's Market, and continued on my road.

Keep going. Keep pushing. Perseverance is key. No matter what it is you are trying to succeed in. You only need one yes.

So if you're still reading and my corny pep talk hasn't lost you by now, I thank you. Frantisek is sleeping on my couch. My living room is dark. My mom is probably looking at things on her iPhone (and reading this). Love you mom. And I'm in my office blogging. It's a good, quiet night.

Though I'm pretty spontaneous, I plan on blogging a little about my research process and a new site I joined called WeBook tomorrow. If you're interested in the acting/film/singing side of my life, there will be postings coming soon as I'm gearing up for a whole bunch of music video production from songs off The Incubus Soundtrack. Stay tuned. Follow me on Twitter. Have a good night.

Here's the book trailer for my novel,

Sincerely,
Shayne

Brave New World

2010-09-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

After mulling over this morning's latest hurdle over a thick slice of apple pie - yes, my breakfast food of choice today - and deliberating what my options were, and what my choices of therapy would be...I decided to finally break down and create a blog.
So now you're probably thinking one of two things (or both): "Wow, I wonder what has Shayne so down." or "Wow, she's overly dramatic..."
I'll be the first to break the top story: Yes. I am incredibly dramatic. But this is merely a side effect of my overactive imagination which gives me the ability to story-tell. Ergo, it is a cross I will willingly bare, so bare with me.
So onto what has me eating apple pie this early in my day - rejection letter. Bleh.
If you're also an aspiring author (or a published author that has been through this time and again), and you're reading this, you know how this feels. But you also know, that it's no big deal. J.K. Rowling got rejected. A lot. And that's the war drum that continues beating in my ears. It sounds a lot like "Keep. Going. Keep. Going."
All successful authors, actors, musicians, painters, etc. They've all been rejected many times before reaching the ever-sought-after place in the sun.
I'm being dramatic about this particular one, only because I made the mistake of allowing myself to get my hopes up. My other half warned me the day I got a positive feedback on my query and came out into my living room beaming. He said, "Don't get too excited." Haven't I learned by now in the many other facets of my life how true those words of advice really are? But I continue to ignore them. Why? Because that was my first positive letter back from a literary agency: "We want to see your first 30 pages." I deserved to feel excited.
Yippie! I was over the moon that day. Not to mention it really lit the fire under my butt to go back into my manuscript and edit, edit, edit, before I got the follow up letter requesting the full manuscript.
"But wait-" you say, and cringe while you're saying it. "Doesn't that seem a little backwards? Shouldn't you have had a completely polished manuscript before sending it out?"
Yes. Yes I should have. But to my defense, I thought I did. The first thing I did today, after eating pie, was go onto the blog of another new author (one that only recently signed to an agency) an unbeknownst to her, sought out advice.
Ding! And here's the conclusion from that research: I am nineteen years old. I am impatient. This is my first novel. I DO have talent. I DO NOT know what I am doing...yet...
There are tons of girls my age, and I mean tons, who are aspiring authors. My friends Chantal and Kayla both are working relentlessly to complete their own beloved stories. Not to sound like Miley Cyrus (because believe me, that is not my aim), but that's the climb. (Wow this blog is cheesy.) But really, that's the truth.
Going up against thousands of queries a year; some of them being seasoned authors, some of them submitting cookbooks to agents seeking out fantasies, and some of them just like us. If this business was easy, everyone and their mother would be lining up for an interview on the Today Show and working on their memoir.
This is why I started my blog today - because I promised myself that I would never give up. I also promised myself that I'd do more research, enter a few contests, and find some quality beta readers before submitting again. There are thousands of aspiring (anythings) out there who are getting rejected every hour, but the best advice I have as one of them, is to never give up.
So I'm going to actively blog about my road to success. From my desktop to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list. And I'm not JUST blogging about my book journey. Oh no. If you're reading this first post today, you probably already have a good idea of who I am and what I do. I have an independent film out called, The Incubus. Hard to believe, but this film I wrote, co-directed, and acted in was produced and released into over 15 movie theaters across the South Florida region and all before my 20th birthday. You see? There's the proof. I don't give up.
I hope other aspiring (anythings) out there will follow this blog. Heck, I hope already-esteemed (anythings) follow this blog. Because we were all once on one side of this: (click the link)
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=338219969178&ref=mf

Also, you can find me at twitter, facebook, and my website http://www.wix.com/theincubus/shayneleighton

Check out more information on my aspiring novel, Of Light and Darkness and my film being released soon, The Incubus, and other projects on the horizon.

Sincerely,
Shayne